But while the Battle Version Akainu Sakazuki figure surprised me with its high quality, the final production version of the FiguartsZero Aokiji Kuzan Battle Ver. figure ends up feeling a little bit mediocre in comparison…

Yesterday I discussed one of the final two MegaHouse Portrait of Pirates figures of 2013, and today I’m finishing up with the one remaining OnePiece POP figure.

Like the Leopard Form Lucci POP I previously discussed, this is another character that we’ve seen released twice before by MegaHouse in One Piece P.O.P. form. And like Lucci, this is a vastly different version of the character than we’ve seen before–from the One Piece Film Z anime movie, it’s the former Marine Admiral Aokiji Kuzan POP Edition-Z figure!

Now that I’ve covered both of the newly-revealed MegaHouse figures from the Japan Summer 2013 Wonder Festival (AKA the pair of surprisingly awesome new Tony Tony Chopper figures), it’s time to move on to two figures that we saw again for the very first time at the event: the One Piece Z Portrait of Pirates Roronoa Zoro and Aokiji Kuzan Edition-Z figures! We saw them earlier this summer in unpainted prototype form, but now we’ve seen the finished painted prototypes and even know when they’ll be joining our collections…

We’ve been waiting all month to see hi-res photos of the much-anticipated One Piece Figuarts Zero Admiral Aokiji Battle Ver. and Admiral Akainu Battle Ver. figures–and just in time for the pre-order, Bandai has delivered!

There some blurry, low-quality magazine scan photos of these figures released last week, but I thought those photos made these Figuarts Zero One Piece figures look pretty bad, so I decided to wait to post the official photos. Well, the official photos look better, but even so, I’m disappointed in this duo…

Did you get your pre-orders in for Thriller Bark Ver. Perona and Enel this week? Yeah…? Then you’re all caught up and ready for some more Bandai Figuarts Zero One Piece news! (And if you didn’t order Enel yet–shame on you!) Now that the October 2013 Bandai Figuarts Zero figures are up for sale, it’s time to look to the future with not one, not two, but three all-new Figuarts Zero Battle Version figures coming in November 2013: it’s the Admiral Aokiji Battle Ver. Admiral Akainu Battle Ver. and Portgas D. Ace Battle Ver. #2 figures!

Well, this was unexpected. At the most recent Banpresto Prize Fair, Banpresto showed off the next vehicle in their Banpresto One Piece Grandline Vehicle collection. I had assumed that the next vehicle released would be the Black Rhino (Kurosai) Motorcycle, to complement the Brachio Tank V that is the first entry in the Grandline Vehicle Series of One Piece toys. As it turns out, the next vehicle released will be a bike after all–but instead of a motorbike, it’s the old-fashioned kind: from One Piece Film Z, it’s the Grandline Vehicle Aokiji on Bicycle figure!

Considering that this site is entitled “One Piece Z”, you might guess that I’m a pretty big fan of last year’s One Piece Film Z movie. And you would be right. As such, I’ve been dealing with the excruciatingly painful wait for MegaHouse to put out their One Piece Portrait of Pirates Edition Z movie figures. After seeing One Piece Z Chopper POP Edition-Z last November, he finally hit shelves last week. Nico Robin and Sanji are scheduled for the next few months, but then–nothing. But it’s MegaHobby Expo Spring 2013 to the rescue for One Piece Film Z fans: Luffy, Zoro, and Aokiji have all been shown and announced!

It’s a big day in Japan for One Piece Z fans, as the One Piece WCF Film Z Vol. 4 set has finally been released today (March 14, 2013)! This is the fourth and final One Piece Z WCF series to be released (based on the One Piece Film Z anime movie), and in my opinion, it’s easily the most diverse and exciting set of the four…

For the collectors who just can’t get enough One Piece Film Z merchandise, Bandai has got something unexpected coming your way next week: pre-orders for two more Figuarts Zero One Piece Z figures! We hadn’t heard anything about there being more figures in the One Piece Film Z Figuarts Zero line in a couple months, so I assumed Bandai was at their limit. But instead, pre-orders open next week for the next two web-exclusive entries in the Figuarts Zero One Piece Film Z figures: timeskip Aokiji and an 8 Year Old version of Nami!